Four Matches (or The Red and Gold Prophecy)
by quettlequorn
Summary: We all know the story of the prophecy that foretold Lily and James Potter's tragic deaths, but the students of Hogwarts in 1977 can all fondly recall another prophecy surrounding Lily Evans and James Potter, years earlier, that many still claim began it all: stemming one of the greatest love stories in wizarding history and winning Gryffindor the 1978 Quidditch Cup to boot.
1. Chapter 1: Gryffindor vs Slytherin

**Summary**: We all know the story of the prophecy that foretold Lily and James Potter's tragic deaths, but the students of Hogwarts in 1977 can all fondly recall another prophecy surrounding Lily Evans and James Potter, years earlier, that many still claim began it all: stemming one of the greatest love stories in wizarding history and winning Gryffindor the 1978 Quidditch Cup, to boot.

**A/N**: This story was written for tumblr's Jily Secret Santa, for Megan (woodenseahorses). The prompts were Hogwarts and Quidditch, and hopefully I delivered. It's quite a bit longer than I'd planned, but I hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

* * *

November 5, 1977 - _Gryffindor vs. Slytherin_

Lily Evans had _no _interest in attending this morning's Quidditch match. And no, it had nothing to do with a certain Head Boy who she was currently not on speaking terms with, thank you very much. Or so she attempted, feebly, to explain to a chiding Mary MacDonald who was currently refusing to leave the 7th Year Girls' Dormitory. Somehow, despite the absurd gold and red face paint she was currently sporting, the five-foot tall brunette managed to project a thoroughly intimidating air with her arms glued to her hips.

"Lily Evans! You are _Head Girl_, for heaven's sake!" Mary screeched. "You owe it to your _house _to be there. It's the first match of the season. Your housemates could use your support, even if you aren't necessarily on the _very best of terms_ with all of them."

Lily shot her friend a particularly nasty scowl, but with a light groan, finally sat up in bed, dropping the Potions textbook she had been feigning concentration on. "Fine, MacDonald. You win. I'll go, but if you expect me to do any _celebrating _after the match, you are going to be sorely disappointed. And if you expect me to cheer for any of Potter's goals, you have another thing coming."

"You are _so _immature sometimes." But Mary wore a satisfied grin on her face as she turned to descend the staircase.

Hastily wrapping a scarf around her neck, Lily reluctantly followed her best friend down the stairwell and into the sea of red and gold that currently constituted the bustling Gryffindor common room. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you our illustrious Head Girl!" Mary announced with a flourish. Lily rolled her eyes at the gesture, but couldn't help but feel a little better as soon as she entered the cheery common room. Suddenly, she regretted ever considering skipping the game. How could she have even considered letting that annoying prick Potter keep her from this?

"Lily!" A voice called across the common room. Lily looked over to see two boys, each head-to-toe in red and gold, respectively. The one who had called out her name, Remus Lupin, was sporting bright gold robes. His normally sandy hair today shone an obnoxiously bright red. "Hey, we match today!" He exclaimed with a broad grin. Next to him, his friend Peter Pettigrew was draped in red robes and his mousy blonde hair was now a shiny gold. He stood, looking slightly bashful, beside Remus, who knew Lily from their years of prefect duty together.

"Hey, Remus, Peter" Lily greeted, a small smile forming on her lips against her better judgment. While she and Remus typically got on quite well, both Remus and Peter were the best friends of that arrogant, smarmy prat, Potter, and the association was not necessarily one she was keen on making on this particular morning. Still, she hoped Remus wouldn't pick up on the hint of coldness in her voice, or bring up their mutual acquaintance.

No such luck. "Lily, what happened between you and James last night? He stormed in after midnight in _quite _the mood!"

"And made _quite_ the racket, I might add," Peter piped in.

"He wouldn't tell any of us what was wrong, but he was still in a funk this morning," Remus continued, shooting Lily an inquisitive glance.

Mary, who had reappeared at Lily's side, interjected before Lily could even open her mouth to make up an excuse. "Don't even hope for an explanation from this one. She's been annoyingly silent on the entire ordeal for the last twelve hours. All I've gathered is that our head boy and girl are – surprise, surprise – once again not on speaking terms."

"Ah," Remus nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"If you're quite done discussing my personal business, I'd really rather just go watch this blasted Quidditch match," Lily snapped at her friends, and began to stalk out of the common room, her chipper mood fading quickly. She hadn't made it down the corridor before Remus came scampering after her, shouting her name. Apparently he had drawn the short straw.

"Lily! Hang on!" Remus called. With a guilty sigh, she stopped short and turned toward her friend, who, she noted, could now be her brother with his preposterous new red hair. "Listen," Remus panted, "Sorry about that. You know I hate getting in the middle of things with you and Prongs. I usually know better, it's just seemed like you two have been – well, civil, at least, if nothing else, these days."

"We have been," Lily acknowledged. In fact, in the past several months, the two had become, reluctant as Lily was to admit it, actually quite friendly. The iciness between them had all but entirely thawed, which had made their fight the previous night even more disastrous. Lily sighed. "Listen, it was just a mess. It might be ok, eventually, but it also might not be. There's... there's a lot between us. Years of hatred, for one."

"Of _you_ hating him," Remus corrected.

"And him deserving it. Maybe he doesn't anymore, but he does a shit job of showing it sometimes," Lily muttered. "I don't really want to talk about it, Remus."

"Ok, I get it." Remus paused a moment, staring down Lily with something of an annoyingly knowing glint in his eyes. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But, if you can, try to fix things with him soon. It really gets to him, you know. And with the stress of Quidditch and being head boy this year... well, he likes to pretend he's always on top of everything, but he's only human, you know?"

Lily shifted on her heels, the guilt beginning to seep in. They had left the castle now and were approaching the Quidditch pitch. The sounds of cheers in the stands could already be heard, even from several yards away, but Lily was sure they still had at least fifteen minutes before the game was due to start. She scowled, angry with herself and with Remus for making her feel guilty. Potter certainly wasn't guiltless in this particular situation – about which, she might add, Remus knew nothing at all! She opened her mouth to begin to say as much, but couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she gave a long sigh. "Do you think it'll affect his performance in the game?" She asked, feebly.

Remus looked somewhat taken aback. "I wasn't trying to say that! You shouldn't blame yourself, and James is a big boy. He's shrugged off just about a hundred rejections from you and gone on to work miracles on the Quidditch pitch."

The redhead ran a hand through her frizzy red hair, suddenly regretting jumping out of bed so quickly this morning. "Still..." she began, her voice softening now. What was it about calm, even-tempered Remus Lupin that always made her feel so damn _irrational _all the time? "Maybe I should talk to him before the game." Blushing at the grin that was growing on Remus' face, she added quickly, "For Gryffindor, you know! _I _don't want to be the reason we lose the Quidditch Cup!"

"Of course not," Remus replied, barely suppressing a laugh. Lily gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder, though perhaps a bit harder than she had meant to, but ran off in the direction of the pitch before he could say any more.

Mary and Peter had finally caught up to Remus just in time to see the flurry of red hair running away. "Where's she off to?" Mary asked. Remus only grinned wider.

* * *

Lily was standing outside the door of the Gryffindor Quidditch team's locker room. Reaching for the door, she abruptly dropped her arm and turned away. "No. Nope. Not doing this. No." She muttered, walking toward the stands for the fifth time. And, for the sixth time, she turned back toward the door of the locker room. This time, however, before she had time to grab the doorknob, the door came swinging open, causing her to jump back to avoid being hit.

"Shit! Evans!" The broad figure of the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team filled the open doorway, adorned in his Quidditch robes. He ran a hand through his typically messy black hair, his eyes wide and confused through his wire-framed glasses. "I – what are you doing?"

Lily crooked her head slightly, pursing her lips. _This is it, Lily_, she told herself. _Now just swallow your pride_. "I just – well, I wanted to talk to you. Last night..."

James was frowning slightly, still a bit startled and confused, but he nodded nonetheless. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that."

"I was _saying -_" Lily began, and then it was her turn to look startled. "You're what?"

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my business and I shouldn't have butted in like that and made things worse. I know you and Snape have a lot of history."

"It wasn't your fault," Lily admitted, realizing the truth of the statement as she said it.

"No, it was his, but I didn't help things at all. So... I'm sorry." For what seemed like the first time since Lily had met him, James Potter didn't have a trace of cockiness visible in his demeanor. In fact, as he shifted on his feet, fiddling with his wand and not meeting Lily's gaze, he looked downright bashful.

"Um.. well, thank you, I guess. I'm sorry, too," Lily mumbled, suddenly feeling her cheeks grow warm. "So, now that that's sorted, I guess I should get to the stands."

"Right." James tucked his wand back into the pocket of his robes and looked up at Lily, his hazel eyes meeting her green ones in a gaze so piercing Lily wanted to break it, but somehow couldn't bring herself to. "Evans?"

"Yeah, Potter?"

"I'm glad you came to the game," he said, a smile now forming on his lips. "I didn't think you would."

"Me neither," Lily admitted. After a short pause, she looked over toward the stands, which were now nearly full with Hogwarts students. "Well, good luck, Potter."

"Yeah, thanks." James once again ran a hand through his disheveled black hair. Lily had walked ten feet toward the bleachers when, after a gulp, James called out, "Hey, Evans?"

"Yes, Potter?" She called back, a smile now having formed on her lips. She hadn't realized how much better she would feel when things had been resolved with the Head Boy.

James was grinning widely when she looked back in his direction. "Hey, you don't suppose you might want to go out with me sometime?" He said, hoping his tone sounded at least half-joking.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Lily's smile didn't fade, and in fact widened to a grin. She paused for a moment. "Yeah, okay." And, with that, she marched over to the Quidditch stands, the grin never leaving her face.

When Sirius stepped out of the locker room and found James, his jaw was still hanging open, staring at the spot Lily had just vacated. "Uh, you ok, mate?" The beater asked his best friend, his shaggy black hair falling over his eyes.

"Padfoot, I think Lily Evans just agreed to go out with me." James' voice was flat, and, yet again, he ran a hand through his hair in confusion.

Sirius laughed loudly. "Good one, Prongs. Seriously, though, what's going on?"

"I'm _deadly serious_, Padfoot!" James shouted suddenly, jumping in the air, as though he were suddenly processing Lily's words. His eyes lit up and a mad grin spread across his face.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No way."

"Yes way!"

"Lily Evans?"

"Lily Evans," James repeated the name in a reverent whisper.

Sirius' eyebrows were still raised, but a grin was forming on his face to match his friend's. "Wow."

"Yeah, I know."

"This is – wow!"

"_I know_," James repeated, his mind and body abuzz. He had never felt more ready for a Quidditch game. "So, what do you say we go cream some Slytherins?"

Sirius groaned. "I'd forgotten for a moment. I was trying not to think about the fact that we get to play against my _dear_ little brother."

"Not to worry, Padfoot. Nothing could possibly go wrong today!" James chirped, skipping back into the locker room, his bemused best friend following behind.

"This attitude is going to get old _real _fast," Sirius muttered, still grinning.

James Potter scored twelve goals during that game, a personal record, and no one in the stands could quite understand why, even when he was hit square in the chest by a particularly nasty bludger, the Quidditch Captain would not stop grinning. Not until, that is, word spread around the castle that the Head Girl had _finally_ agreed to go on a date with the Head Boy – everyone understood quite perfectly after that. And thus began the superstition, widely held within Gryffindor House, that Lily Evans and James Potter needed to stay together in order for Gryffindor to win the Cup.


	2. Chapter 2: Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw

November 26, 1977 – _Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw_

"What do you mean you're supporting _Ravenclaw_?"

"Exactly that. I'm supporting Ravenclaw!" Lily Evans was sitting beside James Potter in the Great Hall nibbling at her sausage and, apparently, getting berated for her choice of Quidditch loyalty. "Bertram Aubrey is my Charms partner, and one of our prefects, I might add, and he's a decent bloke." James' eyes looked as though they were about to pop out of his head at this statement, but she continued. "And the 5th year, Cecilia Vane, is their new seeker this year and she is terribly sweet – I tutored her in Potions last year. So I'm supporting Ravenclaw." Lily finished defiantly, daring her boyfriend to argue with a playful raise of an eyebrow.

James rose eagerly to the challenge with a loud scoff. "Well, I don't know this Vane character, but Bertram Aubreyis a ponce. And I've seen the way he looks at you in Charms!"

"_What _are you talking about, Potter?" Her voice was slightly raised now, drawing the attention of several others at the Gryffindor table. The sight of their Heads arguing now seemed to be cause for a great deal of alarm among Gryffindors.

"Oh, he's practically salivating over you – always so damn _eager_. And you conveniently forgot to mention the part where you used to go out with him!"

"It was _two weeks _in fourth year!"

"He's clearly still pining."

"You're crazy!" Lily's expression had shifted from annoyed to incredulous.

"About you, perhaps," James quipped. She gave him a light-hearted slap on the shoulder but her cheeked were pink and she reached for his hand under the table. Realizing the fires had been diffused, the rest of Gryffindor table seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief and returned to their breakfasts and conversations. Leaning in close so that his breath tickled Lily's ear, James whispered, "still rooting for Ravenclaw?"

"Absolutely," Lily answered with a smile. "Why are you rooting for Hufflepuff anyhow?"

It was then that Sirius, Remus and Peter, arrived at the breakfast table and took their seats at the on either side of the couple. Hearing Lily's question, Sirius snorted loudly. "She doesn't know, Prongs?" James shook his head and the other Marauders laughed loudly. "Lily, have you ever paid much attention to Davey Gudgeon playing Quidditch?"

Lily shook her head, baffled. Gudgeon was the Hufflepuff seeker and though she had watched several Hufflepuff matches in the years that he'd been on the team, she'd never noticed anything particularly unusual about his playing. "No, I can't say that I have."

"We call him the flying fish," James explained between snickers. "He always leans so far forward that he's practically lying on his belly, but then he does these strange kicks with his legs to steer his broomstick – it's almost like he's swimming."

"And _that's _why you four root for Hufflepuff?"

"Trust me, Lily, you can't _help _but root for Gudgeon when you see him," James insisted.

"We'll see about that, I suppose." Lily had finished her breakfast and noticed that James had as well. "Shall we head down to the pitch?" She suggested to him.

James nodded and turned to his friends. "We'll save you seats?" Before the Marauders had a chance to respond, the couple practically ran out of the Great Hall, their hands entwined. The fact that the two were headed to the pitch a full half hour before the match wasn't lost on the other three Marauders, who fully intended to tease their friend about this fact later on.

In the three weeks since Lily and James had begun dating, it came as no surprise to anyone that they spent quite a bit of time bickering – though their arguments rarely carried the same bite as they once had. What did come as a surprise to just about everyone was their particular brand of conflict resolution, which seemed to entail snogging in every corridor and passageway Hogwarts had to offer. While their friends found the experience of constantly walking in on the couple in compromising positions mildly revolting, a particular sect of the Hogwarts population seemed to consider the frequent snogfests nothing short of a blessing. Even Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had begun to subscribe to what was now known as The Red and Gold Prophecy – so coined by sixth year amateur seer Sienna Vablasky who insisted that the Inner Eye had affirmed to her that Gryffindor was sure to win the Cup so long as Lily and James could stay together through the end of the year. Slytherin had won the last six Quidditch Cups, and even they reluctantly admitted that a Gryffindor victory would be preferable.

On this particular morning, Lily and James found themselves underneath the bleachers, James' tie loosened around his neck and Lily's red hair looking nearly as disheveled as her boyfriend's. Breaking their kiss and planting a light peck on his girlfriend's forehead, James whispered, "we should probably get up there. We wouldn't want to miss Hufflepuff trouncing Ravenclaw, would we?"

Lily's lips formed a mischievous pout, and she took hold of the end of James' tie, pulling him closer gently. "No, I suppose we _wouldn't_ want to miss Ravenclaw's big win. Just a few more minutes, then." Grinning, she stifled James' protests with more kisses.

The two were broken from their reverie by the sound of hustle and bustle from the crowds above them in the stands. "Oops," Lily squeaked. "We may have overshot by a bit. Think we can make an inconspicuous entrance?"

"Us?" James scoffed. "Not a chance."

"Alright, Potter. Let's get this over with, then." Squeezing his hand, she pulled him around the corner out of the cover of the bleachers, where they found themselves immediately surrounded by Hogwarts students. Every eye in the crowd seemed to suddenly shift focus to their Head Boy and Girl. "I swear, it's like an alarm sounds every time we enter a room," Lily muttered.

"I'm not convinced that some of them haven't put Tracking Spells on us." James rolled his eyes at the whispering crowd as they made their way toward the seats some of their friends were now occupying.

By the start of the game, it was common knowledge that their Head Girl was rooting for Ravenclaw, while the Head Boy favored Hufflepuff, and there was no clear consensus on how the Prophecy might impact the results of the game, though a number of bets were already going around. When Ravenclaw scored the first fourteen goals, it seemed clear that the fates were on the side of their Head Girl.

"Well, I'm not one to say I told you so, but..." Lily began, teasingly.

James snorted. "You? Never," he scoffed, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek, though his eyes hadn't left the action on the Quidditch pitch.

"You know, I never really pay this much attention to Quidditch games, but I have to admit, this is fun." Lily nuzzled into James' shoulder as she, too, turned back to the game.

"Finally, the girl sees reason!"

"Mmm, well, it doesn't help that the Gryffindor team used to have this tremendous arse as their Quidditch Captain."

"You know, I don't seem to remember him. I _do _recall they have a devilishly handsome and exceptionally talented chaser..."

"True, Marlene's not at all bad on the eyes, though I don't know if _handsome _is the word I'd use." Lily's nose scrunched up when she grinned and James couldn't help but notice, for perhaps the billionth time in his life, how adorable that smile was.

"Ha ha," he deadpanned, wrapping an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. "Back to the game, then. Have you been paying attention to our dearest Davey Gudgeon?"

"It _is _quite uncanny," Lily admitted.

"It really looks like he's swimming!" The two stared up at the seeker in admiration when, suddenly, they noticed that he was now 'swimming' at a clear target – one that was only fifty feet ahead of him. Cecilia Vane, the Ravenclaw seeker, had only just caught sight of the snitch that Davey was speeding toward, and he had a good hundred foot lead on her. The crowd watched in awe as, seconds later, the Flying Fish had seized the snitch.

"But that means -" Lily realized with a gasp.

"Hufflepuff wins by ten points!" Echoed the voice of Jacob Jordan, commentator for the match.

James was on his feet, and, letting out a small squeak, Lily found herself being spun about by a whooping James. Planting her back on her feet, James grinned. "Well, Evans, I'm not one to say I told you so..."

"Oh, shut up, Potter," Lily snapped, but her face mirrored his grin. Leaning in closer to his face, she lowered her voice. "What do you say we try to sneak out of here?"

As the two made a not-so-stealthy exit through the crowds, whispers were exchanged about how the outcome of the game provided definitive proof of the Prophecy – after all, what could better help assure a Gryffindor victory in the Cup than a close, low-scoring game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw? Even those who had been previously skeptical began to begrudgingly admit that there might be something to the notion. It was clear to all in favor of a Gryffindor win that they must do whatever it took to ensure that Lily Evans and James Potter did _not _break up before the end of the Quidditch season.


	3. Chapter 3: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff

March 15, 1978 – _Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff_

"Oh, this is not good." Peter Pettigrew was pacing back and forth in the Gryffindor Common Room. "This is very, very bad."

"Don't tell me you actually believe that stupid _Prophecy_, Wormtail," Remus snapped at his friend. It had been a full moon two evenings previously and, being quite weary still, he found himself quite short on patience this particular morning. It was bad enough that he had been kept up most of the previous night by James and his bloody _girl issues_.

"No – well, not really, but admit it – there's no way Prongs will be any good out there today when he's worried about Lily. Padfoot's been trying to talk him down all morning, and he's an absolute wreck. Apparently he left the team in the locker room and flew off to god-knows-where, so now they're not even sure he'll play."

"No, that doesn't sound very good," Remus admitted. "But what can we do?"

"I don't know. I asked around, and no one's seen Lily all morning either."

"Just to be clear, though, we know this is about more than just _Quidditch_, right?"

"Right! Y-Yes, of course," Peter stammered.

"Because this is about our friend. Our friends. And their happiness. Not about a stupid Quidditch match."

"Sure," Peter agreed, meekly. Then, after a brief pause: "But wouldn't it be nice if we won the Cup this year, as well?"

Remus let out an exasperated sigh. "Let's just see if we can find them." After a moment's thought, he slapped a hand against his forehead. "Wormtail, you do realize that we have in our possession an enchanted map that details the locations of every witch and wizard in this castle, don't you? Had it occurred to you that it might come in handy in finding our illustrious Head Girl?"

* * *

James Potter was flying. He had long since lost track of time, and had mostly lost track of his location though he knew he was somewhere above the Forbidden Forest. The wind was blowing through his hair and he closed his eyes, trying desperately to shut out his thoughts. "Bollocks," he swore loudly into the air. "You really are a prat, James Potter."

Four months. He had spent four blissful months with Lily Evans. And they had bickered and squabbled through their relationship, but last night was the first time they'd had a genuine fight since before they had begun dating, yet old habits die hard, and if there was one thing Lily and James knew how to do well, it was fight. It had not gone well.

_"You're hiding something from me, James. I know you are, and I just wish you would trust me enough to be honest about it."_

_ "There's nothing! Really, Lily. It's nothing." He lied poorly. _

_ "I don't believe you for a second. Where were you last night?"_

_ "I told you! I was with my mates."_

_ "Where? Doing what?"_

_ "It's not like you to be so concerned with my whereabouts."_

_ "It's not like you to lie to me. Except when it is. Except for just about once a month when you disappear with your mates to go pull some stunt so dangerous you won't even tell me about!"_

_ "It's none of your business, Lily!" That was the wrong thing to say._

_ "Oh, of course. I'm only your girlfriend. Not one of your precious Marauders."_

_ "No, you're _not _one of us! And there are some things that just have to stay between us – you just have to trust me on that!"_

_ "Oh, that's rich. I have to trust you, but you don't trust me enough to just tell me the truth. You know what, James? You can have your secrets. I don't care anymore."_

_ "Lily..."_

_ "No. I've had enough, Potter. I know I'll never stack up with your mates but I thought I'd at least earned your trust by now. Just do whatever you want. You don't need to worry about me any longer." _

And then she had left. And he wasn't sure what he could have done differently. He'd replayed the conversation in his head hundreds of times by now, and had relayed it to his friends that evening. He knew he couldn't tell Lily about Remus. It was too risky and, more importantly, not his secret to tell. So, perhaps if she couldn't accept that, that would have to be it. For his friend, that sacrifice would be worth it, but it certainly didn't feel like it in the moment. In the moment, all he wanted was to find Lily and tell her everything, to beg her to forgive him. And, for that reason, he was now flying above the Forbidden Forest, where he couldn't go do something idiotic and make things worse than he already had.

* * *

Remus and Peter found Lily on the Map fairly quickly – she was hiding in an abandoned classroom down in the dungeons. When they had nearly arrived, Remus stopped short. "Hey, Wormtail? I think perhaps I should talk to Lily on my own."

Peter gave Remus a quizzical look. "If you think so..." Suddenly, an expression of comprehension came over his face. "Wait, you're not going to-"

"I think I should," Remus said with a sigh. "Think about it – the whole reason Prongs and Lily had that argument last night was because of me. If I tell her, maybe I can fix things between them."

"No. You don't have to do that," Peter squeaked nervously. "What if- what if she doesn't take it well?"

"That's a risk I just have to take. Listen, it's my secret to tell and I've made up my mind," Remus said firmly. "I'll meet you on the pitch later, ok?"

"Ok..." Peter croaked, poorly masking the anxiety in his voice. Remus couldn't help but smile at the fact that Peter seemed even more nervous than he did about this plan.

Taking a deep breath, Remus entered the classroom without knocking. "Lily," he greeted the redhead who was seated at a desk, her eyes red and blotchy. There was an open book in front of her but it was clear she was not studying. She looked startled by the entrance of her unexpected visitor.

"Remus." Her voice was weak and scratchy. It was clear she had been crying. "How did you – nevermind, I know better than to ask about all the tricks you Marauders have up your sleeves." That last statement came out slightly more nastily than Lily had intended it to but her anger overcame her instinct to apologize.

"Lily, I have to tell you something." Remus began. He thought it'd be better to just spit it out.

"Wait," Lily interrupted him. She looked up for the first time and met Remus' eyes. "I think I might already know."

"What?" He wasn't expecting that response.

"I've been awake all night turning things over in my head, trying to understand and – well, there's only one real answer, is there? I've suspected before – well, truthfully, I've heard suspicions before, from Severus. But I dismissed them back then and honestly hadn't really thought about them until recently. But – well, it makes sense. Once a month – how you boys disappear. You're a werewolf, aren't you?"

Remus' heart was pounding in his chest. He nodded slowly and the two were silent for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he gathered the courage to ask what he desperately wanted to. "D-do you hate me?"

"What? No! God, no." Lily allowed herself a weak smile. "You're Remus. You're still the same Remus I've always known, and I could never hate you. So that's it – and the other Marauders, they go to – to help you? With your transformation? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not the way they do it. But I feel like that part isn't my secret to tell – I think James should tell you that part himself."

"James..." Lily whispered, her voice shaky. "I was so unfair to him yesterday, Remus. I don't know if he'll forgive me."

"Trust me, that boy would forgive you for just about anything." Remus let out a small sigh. "That boy's completely mad about you – you know that, don't you?"

Lily rubbed the last of the tears out of her eyes. "I'm mad about him, too," she admitted softly. Then, jumping up out of her seat with a startled revelation, she cried out, "I have to find him before the match!"

Remus shook his head, grinning. "Why am I getting the strongest sense of deja vu?"

Lily giggled, suddenly feeling hopeful remembering that day. "Do you know where he is?"

And then, Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "Lily, I think it's time that you learned just one more Marauder secret."

* * *

Lily Evans had many talents, but flying was not one of them. So, as she shakily steered Remus' broomstick over the Forbidden Forest in the direction of the small dot on the Marauders' Map labeled _James "Prongs" Potter_, she swore loudly and silently cursed her bloody boyfriend for his love of flying. "Couldn't he have been hiding somewhere sensible with two feet on the ground?" She muttered to herself. At the thought of the ground, she looked down and gripped the handle of the broom tighter, hoping for the woozy feeling in her stomach to pass.

Finally, she caught sight of a flying speck in the distance that she could just make out as James spiraling in tight concentric circles. Determined, she sped up the broomstick and zipped toward him as quickly as she could muster. Her stomach was doing back-flips but she was rapidly approaching her target, who had yet to notice the flying redhead barreling in his direction at top speed, and quickly realized that she could no longer slow down. The broom had a mind of its own and it had decided that a hundred miles per hour was its chosen speed. So, when Lily finally made it to James, he was startled by the sight and sounds of his girlfriend shrieking at the top of her lungs as she whizzed past him.

Alarmed, James found himself steering his broomstick after her, chasing her as he would a giant, red-headed quaffle. "Lily!" He called after her, fruitlessly.

"I can't stop it!" She bellowed, terrified as the broomstick lead her further and further away.

"Lean backward and jerk your broom left!" Lily did her best to comply and managed to turn the broom and slow it down to a more manageable speed. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the broomstick back, hard, hoping that she could slow it to a stop. The result was _not _as she had envisioned it, and while the broomstick did stop, it also turned itself up and she lost her footing entirely and found herself dangling, helplessly, off the end of the broom, which was now standing at vertically in the air. It was then that she resumed her shrieking.

"James!"

James was at her side within milliseconds, grabbing her about the waist and lifting her, dextrously, onto the back of his broomstick. She tightened her arms about his waist, shaking like a leaf. James couldn't help but note how wonderful her arms felt around him once again, though he was still stunned by this entire incident. Straightening the broomstick Lily had been on, he turned back to her. "I don't suppose you want to get back on your broom?"

"That bloody contraption belongs to Remus. And no." Lily muttered through gritted teeth. James couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of the situation. "Potter?"

"Yes?" James suddenly felt his breath caught in his throat.

"Get me to the ground."

Laughing, James obliged. Her arms were clutching him so tightly he had trouble breathing. Part of him wanted to stay in the air with her for as long as possible to delay the inevitable conversation that would happen on the ground – after all, he still had no satisfying answer to any of her questions from the previous evening. The last thing he wanted was to have to do it all over again. Still, minutes later, they landed on the ground on the outskirts of the forest. Dropping Remus' broomstick at his side, he grabbed Lily's waist to steady her as she attempted to stand. She quickly gave up on her jelly-legs and dropped to the ground to sit on the moist grass. James sat down beside her, his breathing heavy from exertion and nerves. He waited for Lily to speak, pulling at the blades of grass by his feet.

Finally, Lily spoke up. "I'm an idiot," she blurted out.

This was not what James was expecting. "What?"

"A complete a total imbecile. I was unfair to you yesterday."

"No, I should have tried to explain things a little better. It's just that there are some secrets that aren't mine to tell." James braced himself for her response.

"I know. I shouldn't have pushed you to tell me. You should know, though, that Remus told me – about him. I mean, I sort of figured it out last night, but he confirmed it."

"He did?" James was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I know that he's a werewolf. What he didn't tell me, though, is how that involves you three sneaking out every full moon, and I won't lie, I'm not sure I want to know if it's anything as dangerous as I might imagine."

James took a deep breath. He wasn't expecting this, but if Remus had decided to tell Lily, he couldn't see the harm in telling her the last bit. He gulped. "We figured it out in second year. I don't know how much he told you, but the transformations are horrible for him. He hurts himself. We had to do something to help him, so we came up with a plan." Lily nodded for him to continue. Finally, he spat it out: "We became animagi."

"You what?!"

"We spent four years learning to become animagi. We finally pulled it off in fifth year."

"But – animagi are all registered. They're all _adults_. That's extremely dangerous and advanced magic, James!" Lily's eyes were bugging out of her head. She had figured out Remus' secret and found herself somewhat barely surprised by it, but this – this was unbelievable. Never, in her wildest dreams, would she have guessed this. "That's _illegal_, James," she whispered.

He nodded. "I know. But we had to do it – when we're out there with Remus, he's just another animal. We can rein him in, keep him under control, make sure he doesn't take out his aggression on himself _or _others."

Lily was staring at him, wide-eyed. She had to admit, she was impressed. "What are you? Will you – will you show me?"

James grinned. "Anything to get me naked, hm, Evans?" he teased, pulling off his shirt.

Lily blushed – though they had done quite a bit of snogging and, admittedly, a little bit more, she averted her nervous eyes slightly. Abruptly, however, she saw his muscles begin to twitch and shift and she couldn't help but stare in awe. His skin was turning to fur and – were those horns growing on her head? One second his face and body were his own and the next she was staring into the eyes of a giant stag.

"A stag?" She whispered under her breath. The great animal lowered and raised its head. She approached him nervously. "James, this is _so _strange!" She finally exclaimed, a smile on her lips. She pressed a cheek against his long neck and ran a hand along his back. Slowly, she felt his muscles moving once again and took a step back. Suddenly, he was human-James again. "Potter, that's... that's..." She found herself speechless. Finally, she concluded weakly, "amazing."

"You're not terrified?"

"Oh, I am. I can't even imagine how dangerous it is for you and the boys to be out there with Remus in werewolf form. But right now, awestruck is winning over terror. I mean, James, this is – seriously impressive, I have to give it to you." James felt his cheeks reddening as he replaced the glasses over his eyes. "You're not all stags, are you?"

"No, Sirius is a dog and Pete is a rat."

Lily giggled at the thought. "I would love to see that. Wow. Just... wow."

"You're really not angry? That I kept this from you?" This felt too good to be true.

"Not at all. Are you angry with me?"

"Not in the slightest." James felt as though he were walking on air. Suddenly, he bolted upright, wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and spun her in the air. Instead of putting her back down, however, he lifted her right back onto his Nimbus 1500, which was now hovering in the air.

"James Potter!" Lily cried out in shock. "Absolutely not! No more flying!"

"Sorry, love." He planted a kiss on her cheek and took a seat ahead of her on the broom. "Nothing to be done. I have to be at the game just about five minutes ago, and, in case you haven't heard, _you _are my lucky charm."

Lily snorted, but wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, shutting her eyes as he took off. "You'll pay for this, Potter."

When they arrived at the pitch a few minutes later – traveling faster than any normal broom ought to travel, Lily thought – the crowds were whooping and yelling in excitement at their entrance. The other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were lined up about to begin the game just below them, but, much to Lily's frustration, James was taking his time about making an entrance. When he eventually delivered her to a seat in the stands beside Remus, Peter, and Mary, she was dizzy from the horrendous tricks he had decided it appropriate to attempt with her on the broomstick. Still scowling, she gave him a reluctant kiss before he flew off to join his teammates and the crowd cheered.

As if it needs saying, Gryffindor won the game by a landslide.


	4. Chapter 4: Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw

May 27, 1978 – _Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw_

Lily was seated in the stands at the final game of the season, with baited breath. The game had, thus far, been a rough one. Ravenclaw didn't stand a chance of winning the Cup, but Slytherin had won their games against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff by an enormous margin, so Gryffindor's win in this match was vital for them to win the Cup. Most Gryffindors had been confident about their chances for this game – after all, Lily and James had been going strong all year now – but the game itself was currently too close for comfort. An hour into the game, after Sirius failed to block the third goal in a row scored by Ravenclaw chaser Adrian Stewart, Mary MacDonald had turned to Lily and said, "you're _sure _you and James are fine, then?"

Lily slapped her friend on the shoulder. "Mary! You said you didn't believe in that ridiculous prophecy!"

"Well, I know but..."

"You walked in on us snogging in the common room last night – did it _look _like we were breaking up?"

"Oh, I can never keep up with you two," Mary teased with a grin. "You're always fighting or snogging."

Lily groaned. "This school is ridiculous. I might not miss it one bit next year." Then, smiling, she turned her attention back to the game, and particularly back to her boyfriend. Much to her anxiety, he had thus far narrowly dodged no fewer than five nasty bludgers shot in his direction by none other than Bertram Aubrey, who, Lily was loathe to admit, James may not have been entirely wrong about. The score was 100-110 in Gryffindor's favor, and the game was neck and neck. They needed to win by only ten points to win the Quidditch Cup.

With bludgers flying this way and that, Lily hoped that Dirk Cresswell, the Gryffindor seeker, would catch sight of the snitch, but so far they'd had no such luck. In the moment she took her eyes off of James, she suddenly realized something had gone terribly wrong. There was a loud collective groan from the stands as James had been hit directly in the chest by a bludger. He was still mounted on his broom, but was holding an arm over his chest, clearly in pain. He was holding up an arm to signal a time-out when Aubrey sent a second bludger barreling in his direction. This one also made direct contact with his chest, and this time he was thrown from his broom, sending him falling nearly a hundred feet down.

Lily heard herself screaming, then felt her legs carrying her as fast as she could possibly move toward the center of the Quidditch pitch where the limp body of her boyfriend lie. Tears were filling her eyes. "James!" She was at his side now, along with several professors who were attempting to move her out of the way, but she would not budge, her hands now clinging to the sides of his robes. "He's not moving," she sobbed to no one in particular.

"Enervate," the spell came in Professor McGonagall's powerful tone.

James' eyes opened. "Lily," he murmured weakly.

Sobbing, she dropped her head into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around it, whispering his name through sobs.

"Lils?" Stroking her hair gently, James groaned. "Sorry, love, but a little gentler. I'm just a tad bit sore from the journey down and I think all our mates and professors might think you're a bit mad."

Lily blushed fiercely, looking around at the crowd that had gathered, which included no fewer than four of her professors and what looked like a good quarter of the Hogwarts student body. Professor Flitwick was feebly attempting to clear the crowd.

"Ms. Evans, I think it might be best if you escorted Mr. Potter to the Hospital Wing?" Professor McGonagall instructed, her tone serious but Lily could swear she saw the edges of her lips curling into the slightest of smiles.

"But Professor, the game!" James exclaimed.

"Oh, Mr. Potter – you didn't see!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. This time, a full smile had formed. "It seems Mr. Cresswell managed to catch the snitch while everyone was distracted by your accident. Gryffindor has won."

At the sound of the words, James jumped upright, cringing only slightly at the pain in his ribs. "We won?" He repeated, awe-struck. Then his eyes fell upon Lily, whose face was still red and blotchy though she wore a smile as wide as his own. "We won!" And then, he pulled his girlfriend toward him, and kissing her hard on the lips. The two were laughing through kisses, and it seemed as though all of Hogwarts was in celebration. Someone had conjured red and gold confetti that was falling from the sky. And then, with one last deep look into Lily's bright green eyes, James knew that this was right. Here and now. "Lily Evans," he began.

"James Potter," she replied through a smile.

"I love you. I love you so much, and I will love you for the rest of my life. I know we're young, and I know that this is the worst possible time for this, what with this whole inconvenient war going on. But I want to live the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me, Lily Evans?"

Lily was staring at him, her expression a mixture of shock, emotion and incredulity. "James Potter, you are completely mad. Stark raving mad," she whispered, her voice so low that she was sure only he could hear it, although she was well aware that every voice in the crowd was now silent and every eye was now on them. She raised her voice for the last bit: "And yes. God, yes." With that, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him harder than she ever had before, confetti still falling between their faces. That moment was the happiest that Lily and James had ever known up to that day, though there were many more happy moments still to come for them.

There were more prophecies in the story of Lily and James Potter – important prophecies that would come to shape the course of wizarding history. No, this would not be the last prophecy to concern Lily and James, but Hogwarts students who bore witness to that moment would later tell their children of the Red and Gold Prophecy, and the year that Lily and James Potter fell in love and won Gryffindor their first Quidditch Cup in seven years. And though it never found a place in the Department of Mysteries, many would argue that it may have been one of the most important prophecies ever to come true.


End file.
